Hundreds of school places could be made available to autistic students 'if law enacted'

The Minister for Education Norma Foley, above, and Minister of State for Special Education have the legislative power to direct a school to open a special class where all reasonable efforts have failed. 

Hundreds of autistic students could be provided with appropriate school places "by September" if the Minister for Education, and the Minister of State for Special Education, used the full legislative powers available to them.

That’s according to Graham Manning, an ASD class coordinator in Cork, who told the Irish Examiner the demand for classes exceeds the number of available places each year. This year, he is already seeing “dozens of applications for single-digit places."